Page 83 (1/2)

“No,” the duke nodded his head slowly, like an oldhis cheeks, his shoulders bent “No, it wasn’t your fault, Max When it happened I couldn’t think clearly I wanted to hit out at someone and there was only you left I-I lost my temper”

“Do you expect ive you?”

“I regret deeply what has been done! I want to make amends, Max Let me make amends”

Max looked at hiin to explain that the relationship between theain, no matter how much money the duke threw at him? Couldn’t his father see that? Was he so deluded that he did not realize that it would never be what it was?

“Have you told Harold and Susannah about this plan of yours?”

“It has nothing to do with Harold or Susannah, but I will inform them I wanted to talk to you first, Max Besides, Harold will do as he’s told”

Max looked at him with dislike “I see”

“I want to put all this unpleasantness behind us”

At that er soar to new levels He did not think he had ever been this furious before in life, but neither had he felt so free to express it Being disinherited was ined

“Do you know, father, I don’t care what you want I don’t even care about Valland House I’ forward to it—I have plans for the old mine You’d probably scoff at thereed with you, once But I don’t have to think about the estate any more I don’t have to rely, that I have duties and responsibilities, and my life is structured around them I am simply Max Valland and I a to Cornwall to live…with Marietta if she’ll have me” He paused, and now his voice dripped ice “And if you’ve hurt her, Father, I won’t be responsible for my actions”

“For God’s sake, Max! Right now you probably don’t believe you’re worthy of a respectable woman, but stop and think! When I’ve sorted ain and—” The duke’s voice rose and took on a desperate note “Max! Max, come back!”

But Max had walked out He could hear his father’s voice behind hi, but he didn’t listen He walked downstairs and out the front door, ignoring the twittering of Mrs Po Bedford Square and into Bloo And for the first tiive a daain

Francesca was patting her sister’s back,noises The door opened and she looked up, her voice anxious as she said, “She won’t stop crying” The bed shifted beneath the weight of another person, and Vivianna’s gentle hand sled hair so that she could see her flushed, damp cheek and swollen eyes

“Marietta,” she whispered, “my dear I am so sorry I don’t knohat came over me I do not care if you insult the duke, insult him all you like I do not care if you insult the whole of London society and poke your tongue out at the queen…Well, perhaps not the queen,” she added cautiously “But the rest of them don’t matter a jot to me You are what is iive me or I will never be able to bear it”

Marietta turned her face and saw that Vivianna was crying too With a wail she flung herself into her sister’s arms, and found that Francesca had joined her